Category: Movies

Kabisuryanagar: Even as a year has gone since the appointment of individuals’ delegates, improvement has evaded the occupants of Kabisuryanagar. They had expected that their fundamental requests will be tended to …

Jagatsinghpur: Two diverse number plates of a vehicle utilized by Jagatsinghpur District Collector have perplexed occupants and started banter over the region. The vehicle which was being utilized on lease by …

New Delhi, Jun 5 For director Anurag Kashyap, demonetisation had to be a part of a movie dealing with money and marriage, but he says the characters in Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai don’t reflect his politics as they are more concerned about daily survival.

The film, Kashyap’s exploration of a marriage in a middle class household and how it is shaped by financial concerns, revolves around a bank cashier, Sarita, and her unemployed husband, Sushant, played by Mirziya star Saiyami Kher and “Moothon” actor Roshan Mathew.

Struggling to pay her bills, Sarita’s life takes a turn when she chances upon a secret source of seemingly unlimited cash in her home.

Kashyap said the film, which began streaming on Netflix from Friday, took some time to be made as he was busy with other projects, and when demonetisation was announced in 2016, it led to further changes in the script by Nihit Bhave.

When you are making a movie which is about money and marriage then demonetisation has to be a part of it. We wanted to use it as much as it was a part of a middle class life, Kashyap said when asked about bringing demonetisation into the story.

It was very clear that my personal politics, which I put on Twitter, can’t be the politics of the characters in my films. They are not that privileged. If someone is struggling with daily survival, they don’t have time to think about politics. They look at what will benefit them. It’s the job of filmmakers to chronicle the times — where is it based, the city, milieu and time, he said

Kashyap said the film would have come earlier but it took them some time to get the permission to use all the real footage, including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The lower middle class couple at the centre of the film is surrounded by colourful neighbours, caring as well as nosy, played by the director’s “Sacred Games” stars Amruta Subhash and Rajshri Deshpande.

The intermingling of the characters harks back to the middle-of-the-road cinema of 1970s where neighbours were a big part of the story.

Kashyap said most of it was in Bhave’s script, while some of the nuances came from the characters and their own experience of living in Mumbai.

We all come from the middle class and we never forget that. A Maharashtrian middle class is different from a north Indian or Punjabi middle class. It’s in the way they talk, the trust and camaraderie they have. It all came from Nihit and Amruta…

Most of the lines were not written but came from the personal experiences like if you live in Mumbai, it’s a guarantee that your plumbing will leak because there is so much rain, he said.

Saiyami’s Sarita, a singer who lost her confidence on a reality show stage and is haunted by it as well as her husband’s inability to follow his own dreams, was an interesting character to explore for the director.

The biggest issue that we middle class people have is that we try to hide our crisis, thinking what will people say’. The only rule I followed was that the moment there is a crisis, people start closing their doors. Every door in the apartment building is open, except Sarita’s. She does not want anyone to have a peek into her marriage, he said.

The film, unlike most of Kashyap’s filmography that includes cult favourites such as Black Friday , the two-part revenge drama Gangs of Wasseypur , “Dev D” and “Ugly”, has a lighter touch.

Asked about that, the director quipped he did not let his natural, baser instincts to seep into the script because of Bhave and his actors.

They had made me feel so guilty over the years about not making the film sooner that I was scared this time, he said.

Kashyap said when he met Saiyami, he knew she will pull of the role of a wife and mother of an eight-year-old.

The struggle with Saiyami was that she did not look like the character but she felt like her. Saiyami is too glamorous and young to play the part. But she took it upon herself to convince my other team members. She put on so much weight, transformed herself and sold the idea to us.”

The director liked the role that Roshan played in Moothon and sent him the script without even meeting him.

There was a certain honesty in the character that felt like Sushant even though what I saw in ‘Moothon’ was a very different character, he added.

This is Kashyap’s fourth project with Netflix after Sacred Games and ensemble movies Lust Stories and Ghost Stories .

Kashyap said the streamer gives him a bigger audience while ensuring that commercial concerns don’t muddle with his creative process.

It also gives me the space and trust to make the kind of films I want with the actors of my choice. I am not forced to cast somebody unlike when you make a mainstream movie. Here no one will ask that Saiyami’s first film did not work or Roshan is from Malayalam cinema, said the director, who also launches his production house Good Bad Films with the movie.

Started in partnership with Dhruv Jagasia and Akshay Thakker, Kashyap said the production house has no ambition to become a studio.

I have no ambition other than making good films like we always want to. We don’t have an ambition to become a studio or to go anywhere that will take us to a path full of holes, he said.

London, Speaking directly from the heart, actor John Boyega gave an impassioned speech at a protest against the custodial killing of George Floyd in the US.

The “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” star on Wednesday joined thousands of protestors gathered at Hyde Park for the Black Live Matter protest.

“I’m speaking to you from my heart. Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but f**k that,” Boyega said.

“Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting,” he added.

Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, died May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes in an encounter caught on video. The officer, Derek Chauvin has been charged with murder and manslaughter.

In his speech, Boyega said Floyd was not the first victim of police brutality as he named a number of people who lost their lives in such attacks.

“We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland. We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence,” he said.

Fighting back tears, Boyega went on to say, “Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process. We don’t know what George Floyd could have achieved, we don’t know what Sandra Bland could have achieved, but today we’re going to make sure that won’t be an alien thought to our young ones.”

“I need you to understand how painful this shit is. I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing and that isn’t the case any more, that was never the case any more,” he added.

At the same time, the actor urged his fellow protestors to remain calm and refrain from being violent so as to not “mess up”.

“It is very, very important that we keep control of this moment. That we make this as peaceful and as organised as possible. Because they want us to mess up, they want us to be disorganised, but not today,” Boyega said.

The actor’s speech has gone viral on social media, earning him praise from all quarters, including Lucasfilm that produces his “Star Wars” movies.

In a brief statement, posted on the company’s website, the production house said it “stands with John Boyega” and his message.

“The evil that is racism must stop. We will commit to being part of the change that is long overdue in the world. John Boyega, you are our hero,” the Disney-owned company added.

Los Angeles, Jun 4 A number of actors, who worked with “Glee” star Lea Michele, have accused her of mistreatment and appalling behaviour.

Michele found herself at the centre of a storm on Twitter after her “Glee” co-star Samantha Marie called her out for her creating a toxic environment on the sets.

Ware, who accused the actor of “traumatic microaggressions” on the hit series, was responding to Michele’s Twitter post supporting the Black Lives Matter movement amid the protests over the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died in police custody in Minnepolis.

On Wednesday, the actor issued an apology after meal-kit company HelloFresh dropped her as its brand ambassador.

But now, more actors have come forward with their stories of mistreatment at the hands of Michele.

Another “Glee” star Heather Morris posted a statement on Twitter, saying that she had an “unpleasant” experience of working with Michele.

“Let me be very clear, Hate is a disease in America that we are trying to cure, so I would never wish for that hate to be spread to anyone else.

“With that said, was she unpleasant to work with? Very much so; for Lea to treat others with the disrespect that she did for as long as she did, I believe she SHOULD be called out.”

“Community” star Yvette Nicole Brown, who worked with Michele on ABC’s “The Mayor”, also shared her experience in a post on Twitter.

Responding to Ware’s tweet, Brown said, “I felt every one of those capital letters. Every person on a set matters. Every person on a set deserves respect. And it is the responsibility of every series regular to make every person who visits their home feel welcome. This dismissive attitude is what’s wrong in Hollywood and the world.”

Actor Amber Riley, who featured as a series regular on “Glee”, said during a discussion on Instagram that many women have similar stories to share about Michele.

“In my inbox, there are a lot of Black actors and actresses telling me their stories and letting me know they have dealt with the same things on set, being terrorised by the white girls that are the leads of the show,” Riley said.

In her apology on Wednesday, Michele said even though she does not remember making the specific remarks that Ware says she made, she regrets her actions.

“What matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people. Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me just being unnecessarily difficult, I apologise for my behaviour and for any pain which I have caused,” she said.

The 33-year-old, who is currently expecting her first child with husband, entrepreneur Zandy Reich, said will keep working to be a better person so that she can be a “real role model for my child”.

“I listened to these criticisms and I am learning and while I am very sorry, I will be better in the future from this experience,” she added.

Mumbai, Actor Sonu Sood on Thursday said he and his team provided food and rehabilitation to 28,000 people living close to the coastal lines when Cyclone Nisarga made its way to Mumbai.

The cyclone spared India’s financial capital, which is already reeling under the COVID-19 pandemic, after it made landfall near adjoining Alibaug on Wednesday.

Sood, who has been arranging transport facilities for migrant workers to return to their home safely amid the pandemic, said they have moved the people to municipality schools and colleges for safety.

Today, all of us are facing tough times and the best way to fight this is by being each other’s strongest support system. My team and I have distributed food to over 28,000 people from the coastal areas across Mumbai and rehabilitated them in various schools and colleges. We are making sure all of them are safe, Sood said in a statement here.

The actor has also helped over 200 migrants from Assam, who were homeless and stranded in Mumbai due to Cyclone Nisarga.

After the migrants reached out to Sood on Twitter, he made arrangements for their stay and food, the release said.

The Assamese migrants have been moved to shelter homes where they will be staying until they’re sent home, it said.

Cyclone Nisarga is now a depression over west Vidarbha region in Maharashtra and will weaken further, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.

The cyclone had hit the coastal districts of Maharashtra from Arabian Sea with wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (kmph) on Wednesday afternoon. Mumbai was on edge as it braced for the cyclone after a gap of 72 years.

Mumbai, Casting director Krish Kapur, who had worked on films like Mahesh Bhatt’s “Jalebi” and Kriti Kharbanda-starrer “Veere Ki Wedding”, passed away at the age of 28 due to brain haemorrhage, his family said.

There was speculation that Kapur died in a road accident but his maternal uncle, Sunil Bhalla dismissed the reports, saying that the casting director fainted at his home in suburban Mira Road here and suffered brain haemorrhage.

According to Bhalla, Kapur breathed his last on May 31. “He had no medical history. He was healthy and doing absolutely fine. On May 31, he just collapsed and started to bleed. He died of brain haemorrhage,” Bhalla said

Mumbai, Actor Abhay Deol on Wednesday called out “woke” Indian celebrities who have expressed their stand against racism in America over the killing of George Floyd, while remaining silent about the “systemic problems” in their own country.

There have been widespread protests in the US over the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who was pinned to the ground in Minneapolis last week by a white police officer who kneeled on his neck as he gasped for breath.

Many from the industry, including Kareena Kapoor Khan, Disha Patani, Karan Johar, Tiger Shroff, Priyanka Chopra, condemned the death using the hashtag Black Lives Matter.

The “Dev D” actor uploaded a picture on Instagram with hashtags “migrant lives matter, minority lives matter and poor lives matter”, the issues which have come to the fore in the wake of the coronavirus-led lockdown, preceded by the riots in northeast Delhi in February.

“Maybe it’s time for these now? Now that ‘woke’ Indian celebrities and the middle class stand in solidarity with fighting systemic racism in America, perhaps they’d see how it manifests in their own backyard?

“America has exported violence to the world, they have made it a more dangerous place, it was but inevitable that it would come back karmically,” Abhay captioned the picture.

The actor said it’s not that Americans “deserve it” but urged people, including celebrities, to look at the larger picture.

“I’m saying look at the picture in its totality. I’m saying support them by calling out the systemic problems in your own country, because they turn out to be one and the same thing.

“I’m saying follow their lead but not their actions. Create your own actions, your own movement, relevant to your own country. That is what the black lives matter movement is all about!”

Abhay said in the larger scheme of things, there is no “us” and “them”.

“There is not a country that’s real. But a planet in peril. #migrantlivesmatter #minoritylivesmatter #poorlivesmatter Black Lives Matter (find out why not to use the hashtag and still support the movement),” he added.

Many Bollywood celebrities have been called out on social media for their selective outrage about oppression in the US and their silence regarding events happening in India.

Los Angeles, Major Hollywood studios including Disney,Warner Bros, Paramount, Netflix, Amazon and The Academy of Motion Pictures have issued statements on social media supporting the Black community and Black Lives Matter …

Los Angeles, Major Hollywood studios including Disney,Warner Bros, Paramount, Netflix, Amazon and The Academy of Motion Pictures have issued statements on social media supporting the Black community and Black Lives Matter movement, in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

The 46-year-old African-American man died last Monday in Minneapolis, Minnesota after a white police officer pressed his knee on his neck for more than eight minutes. The officer was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree murder.

We stand against racism. We stand for inclusion. We stand with our fellow Black employees, storytellers, creators and the entire Black community. We must unite and speak out, Disney said in a statement shared on its various social media platforms.

The same statement was posted on the official Twitter accounts of Disney owned Marvel Studios and Pixar.

The Academy said it stands in solidarity with people of the black community and demanded justice for Floyd.

The death of George Floyd is not acceptable to anyone. We stand in solidarity with our black members, colleagues, storytellers, artists and with all black people across our nation because we know Black Lives Matter.

The Academy adds its voice to the call for justice. We must shine a brighter light on racism and do our part to step up to this moment, the statement read.

Los Angeles, Hollywood star Alec Baldwin is all set to play an infamous outlaw in a western film called “Rust”.
The project is based on a story by Baldwin and “Crown Vic” director Joel Souza, who will also helm this movie.

The grandfather-grandson story revolves around Rust, an infamous outlaw with a bounty on his head. When his estranged 13-year-old grandson Lucas is convicted of an accidental murder and sentenced to hang, Rust travels to Cansas to break him out of prison.

But to survive, they must outrun US Marshal Wood Helm and bounty-hunter Fenton ‘Preacher’ Lang, according to Deadline.

Baldwin will produce under his El Dorado Pictures banner alongside Indian-American actor Anjul Nigam, who he previously produced “Crown Vic” with, as well as Anna Granucci.

The actor most recently reprised his role as President Donald Trump on the season 45 finale of Saturday Night Live.

Nigam most recently played the role of a priest on Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever”.

Dehradun: Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata fame on-screen character Mohena Kumari has opened up on being tried positive for the novel coronavirus. Taking to Instagram, Mohena posted a note in the extremely early …

Dehradun: Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata fame on-screen character Mohena Kumari has opened up on being tried positive for the novel coronavirus.

Taking to Instagram, Mohena posted a note in the extremely early times of Tuesday, sharing she “can’t rest”.

“Can’t rest, these underlying days have been hard for us all at home particularly our young one and our older folks. Be that as it may, I am imploring it will all be over soon. We are fine. We reserve no privilege to grumble about anything as there are individuals out there who are enduring more than us,” she composed.

Mohena likewise expressed gratitude toward everybody for sending great wishes to her and her family.

“Yet, I might want to thank every single one of you for all the messages, petitions and love all of you have been sending. It’s keeping our spirits up. What’s more, we have such a great amount of appreciation in our souls for all of you. Much thanks to you,” Mohena included.

Aside from Mohena, her significant other Suyesh Rawat, her dad in-law, Uttarakhand the travel industry serve Satpal Maharaj, and her relative have likewise got gotten the Covid-19 disease.

Mumbai: Actress Eisha Chopra, who played the female hero in the repulsiveness parody web series Official Bhootiyagiri, says that she is frightened of apparitions yet acting in a frightfulness show was entertaining. …

Mumbai: Actress Eisha Chopra, who played the female hero in the repulsiveness parody web series Official Bhootiyagiri, says that she is frightened of apparitions yet acting in a frightfulness show was entertaining.

Inquired as to whether she has ever had a creepy involvement with life, Eisha stated: “I have consistently been terrified of apparitions. I am one of the individuals who can’t watch a blood and gore movie. That is the reason it was so fascinating for me to do a repulsiveness arrangement, given the way that, in actuality, I am too terrified of phantoms.”

She included: “My mother (maternal uncle) used to reveal to me frightfulness stories at the night when I was a youngster. He would reveal to me that phantoms come around evening time and enter our bodies through our heart, particularly when we rest in the night. As a kid, I was frightened to the point that for a long time I never dozed on my back!”

The account of the show rotates around a spooky hotel where visitors register to get an exciting creepy encounter.

The entertainer referenced that shooting a blood and gore movie or show is really amusing.

“You truly need to misbehave in light of the fact that there is no phantom around. You are not the only one on set but rather within the sight of 50 different professionals. Along these lines, it is really entertaining to look and carry on as though I am in a void creepy space where unnatural things are going on,” said Eisha.